The Summer Milky Way and Saturn over the Jodrell Plank Observatory

"Whilst most of the United Kingdom has been enjoying hot warm weather, Lowestoft has been sitting under a blanket of cloud. This last weekend, the weather took a turn for the better and we enjoyed two nights of warm clear skies.


"The planets Saturn and Jupiter were shining brightly very low in the South as viewed from the Jodrell Plank Observatory. At our latitude and in May, June and July, the night sky never gets properly dark. Imaging activity is therefore at a minimum over the summer period. 

This year, with Saturn and Jupiter so low and barely rising above our neighbour's roofs, planetary imaging using the large refractor is not possible. Our imager in chief, Pip Stakkert, being at a loose end, decided to take this image of the southern Milky Way using a Canon 600D DSLR mounted on a Star Adventurer equatorial mount. 

Saturn can be seen in this summer sky portrait nestling between the two roofs and dimmed by the light pollution which unfortunately hugs the horizon". - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.